The
National Solar Observatory at
Sacramento Peak announces the 19th Annual
International Workshop to take place in Sunspot, New Mexico, from September
28 to October 2, 1998. Titled "High Resolution Solar Physics: Theory,
Observations, and Techniques", this year's workshop features the most recent
high spatial and temporal resolution observations of the solar atmosphere.
About 75 scientists are expected to attend, nearly half from outside the US.
Contact information is listed below for media representatives interested
in attending the workshop.

The workshop is dedicated to Dr. Richard B. Dunn on his retirement from
the National Solar Observatory. The
National Science Foundation will
further honor Dr. Dunn during the workshop on September 30, 1998, by renaming
the Sacramento Peak Vacuum Tower Telescope as the Richard B. Dunn Solar
Telescope to recognize Dr. Dunn's long and distinguished career.

Scientific questions to be discussed at the workshop include: How do small
scale features observed in the Sun's photosphere drive physical processes
in the upper solar atmosphere and the corona? What is the relation of weak
magnetic fields observed all over the solar surface to the Sun's 11 year
cycle? Can we observe surface dynamo magnetic field generation on granular
convective scales? What are the smallest observable solar magnetic elements?
What triggers solar flares and coronal mass ejections?

Recent observations from the ground and space have produced solar images of
spectacular resolution. Advances in groundbased observations, such as frame
selection and image reconstruction, complement spacebased observations
from SOHO and TRACE to dramatically enhance our understanding of magnetic
field concentrations, weak magnetic fields, flux tube physics,
coronal loop interactions, magnetic canopies, and photospheric flows
and dynamics. Nevertheless, theoretical models and numerical simulations
show that key physical processes occur on scales below those
currently resolved. New observational techniques,
further developments in image processing and data analysis, and
continued advances in both ground and spacebased instrumentation are
essential to understand the magneto hydrodynamics of the solar convective
zone and atmosphere.

The NSO/SP High Resolution Solar Physics Workshop will review recent progress
in the areas of theoretical modeling and observations of magneto convective
physics on scales between 100 km and 1000 km (i.e. scales between
1/20000 and 1/2000 of the diameter of the Sun).
Techniques for achieving high resolution observations including new
technologies like adaptive optics, next generation
solar telescopes and proposed high resolution space missions such as Solar-B
will be discussed.

A major goal of the workshop is to produce a proceedings that reviews
our current understanding of fundamental physical processes occurring
on the Sun at small spatial scales and the state-of-the-art
of instrumentation used to achieve high resolution observations.
The workshop will also attempt to define the needs for future telescopes
on the ground and in space. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific will
publish the proceedings.

This Workshop is sponsored by the National Solar Observatory, the
National Optical Astronomy Observatories, U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific
Research, and through its European and Asian Offices, the National Science
Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Image caption:
This sunspot from the NSO Sacramento Peak Vacuum Tower Telescope, showing
features on the scale of about 100 km, is representative of the images
and results to be presented September 28 - October 2, 1998, at the
19th National Solar Observatory / Sacramento Peak Workshop on
"High Resolution Solar Physics: Theory, Observations, and Techniques".
The workshop is dedicated to Dr. Richard B. Dunn and the Vacuum Tower
Telescope will be renamed in his honor during the workshop.

Editors: This press
release, including a high-resolution version of the image, is
available electronically over the Internet via
http://www.noao.edu/

###

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is one of the three Observatories
making up the National Optical Astronomical Observatories (NOAO). NOAO is
operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA),
Inc., under Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation